Arrow target butts



Oct. l, 1957 H J, ROSE 2,808,266

ARROW TARGET BUTTS Filed June 3, 1955 MAQ@ ha United States Patent C ARROW TARGET BUTTS Harry J. Rose, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application June 3, 1955, Serial No. 513,125

1 Claim. (Cl. 273-'105) This invention relates to improvements in arrow target butts.

In archery it is common practice to provide a target butt having replaceably applied to its front a target facing at which the arrows are shot. The purpose of the butt is to receive the pointed end portions of the arrows which penetrate the target facing and to stop the arrows without rebound after each arrow has penetrated the butt to a certain degree, and from which the arrow is subsequently removed for reuse.

Conventional target 'butts are customarily filled with straw or corrugated or compressed paperboard or like fibrous material. Repeated penetration of the target butt by yarrows directed at the facing will result in enlarged holes therein from which the stuffing becomes removed and the same will litter the floor or ground on which the target butt is stationed. Besides objectionable litter which results from the conventional type of target butt which handicaps the use of this type of target butt Within a building or home, the straw or fibrous material within the butt and that displaced therefrom produces an objectionable tire hazard.

With the foregoing in mind it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an arrow target butt which will effectively receive and stop the forward end of a shot arrow without any deterioration to the butt and which permits easy removal of the arrow from the butt without any falling litter.

A further object of the invention is to provide an arrow target butt formed of a relatively flexible or live rubber material or the like formed with a plurality of tapered sockets therein, any one of which may be entered by an arrow shot at the target and which, because of the resilient nature of the butt and tapered formation of the socket, allows a desirable degree of penetration of the arrow but effectively stops the arrow without rebound or deterioration of the butt, while permitting easy withdrawal of the arrow.

A further object of the invention is to provide an arrow target butt which is attractive in appearance and not subject to deterioration, which is relatively light and portable, and which is highly suitable for indoor archery as well as being adapted for use outdoors `as it is not adversely affected by rain or other weather conditions.

A further object of the invention is to provide an arrow target butt which is of very simple construction, which is strong and long lasting, which is practical and safe, and which is well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention consists of the improved arrow target butt, and its parts and combinations Vas set forth in the claim, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawing in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved target butt mounted within a supporting frame, a portion of the target facing being broken away;

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Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view of a portion of the butt showing the penetration of a butt socket by an arrow; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary front View of the target butt with the target facing removed.

The complete, targetY comprises a composite quadrilateral frame 8 which encloses and supports the improved target butt 9 and which also removably engages the edge portions of a target facing 10 which is customarily applied over the front surface of the target butt 9. The upper end portion of a vertical supporting post 11 is connected to a lower portion of the frame 8 and the post may extend to any conventional type of oor or ground engaging base member (not shown).

The target butt 9 is one of the important features of the present invention and it takes the form of a slab or pad of resilient or live rubber of quadrilateral form and Aof a substantial uniform thickness. In order `to properly mount the butt 9 the composite frame 8 is provided, which comprises a four-sided underface frame 12 corresponding in size and shape to the target butt 9 which is interposed between the underface frame 12 and an intermediate frame element 13 formed of wood veneer or other suitable material. To secure the butt 9 between the frame elements 12 and 13, a plurality of bolts 14 are employed whose headed upper ends are countersunk into the frame element 13, 'and whose projecting lower or outer end portions Iare threaded and carry bolts 15.

Glued or lotherwise secured to the outer face of the intermediate frame element 13 is an outer face frame 16 preferably formed of a penetrable tenacious composition material and which may engage the ends of errant arrows which have missed the target facing 10 and permit some penetration -of the same without objectionable rebound.

That portion of the target butt 9 which is within the outline of the composite frame 8 is provided with a plurality of closely adjacent inwardly tapered sockets 17 which have their enlarged ends opening through the outer surface of the target butt 9 and which taper inwardly and terminate immediately adjacent the inner surface of the target butt leaving as a bottom for the various sockets a thin layer or lm of the rubber material of the butt, which is penetrable and elastic. The sockets are separated by relatively thin rubber walls or webs which are yieldable to permit deformation of the sockets.

The target facing is of a shape to conform with the interior outline of the composite frame and slightly larger than the same. It is formed of paperboard or like thin sheet material and has delineated thereon suitable target markings. As is shown in Fig. 2, the intermediate frame element 13, which overlies the outer surface of the butt 9, has its inner periphery formed with a groove 18 into which the edge portions of the target facing 10 may be extended when the target facing is applied to the outer surface of the framed butt 9. Obviously the target facing 10 is subject to deterioration after being shot at repeatedly and may be readily replaced.

In the use of the improved target butt an archer will shoot arrows at the target markings on the target facing 10 in the usual manner and any arrows which are ac curately shot toward the exposed area of the target facing will penetrate the facing 10 and enter anyone of the sockets 17 in the target butt 9. The outer end portions of these sockets are of slightly greater diameter than the diameter of a standard arrow shaft while the tapered inner end portions of the sockets are of slightly less diameter. The result is that when the pointed end of an arrow 20 enters a. socket the force of propulsion bows the butt pad inwardly slightly at the area of impact and deforms the entire socket into a cylinder which tightly .embraces the yentire engaged portion `of the. arrowshaft.

Hence, the forward motion yof the arrow shaft is arrested after penetration of the arrow to about the extent illustrated in Fig. 3, or further, depending upon -the 'force of the shot. The arrow shaft is rmly held without rebound and maybe manually withdrawn from .the socket, whereupon the socket reshapes Vitself and-the layer .or yilm of material across the inner end of the socket selfcloses.

In using a target butt yof the character described lit becomes apparent that thereis -no attendant muss, litter or deterioration. Hence, the target butt is especially suited for indoor usage as well as for outdoor use. It is neither subject to deterioration through `use or deterioration through exposure to weather, and is hence long-lasting, always neat and attractive in appearance and, because of Athe material composing the butt, it is in no manner a fire hazard. The improved target butt is furthermore of simple and nouvel Vconstruction and is well adapted for the purposes described.

What is claimed as the invention is:

An arrow target butt formed of a relatively thick uniform slab of resilient weatherproof and llreproof rubber -having therein a plurality of closely adjacent,

inwardly tapered sockets ripening through ,the Outer face of the target butt an outer face portion of the target butt presenting the open ends of the sockets which are separated one from another by relatively thin flexible webs, the outer end portions of the sockets being of slightly `greater diameter than the diameter of a standard archery arrow shaft, the pad, upon impact of an arrow forcefully shot into a socket, flexing inwardly locally in the area of the .entered socket to deform the entered socket from its tapered form to a cylindrical form to bindingly engage throughout its length the arrow shaft to cushion and restrict forward progress of the latter.

References Cited in the yfile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 225,734 Tangeman Mar. 23, 1880 838,105 Grant Dec. 11, 1906 1,199,564 Judge Sept. 26, 1916 1,837,627 Mead Dec. 22, 1931 2,193,727 Jouffray Mar. 12, 1940 2,535,280 k,Grartrell r Dec. 26, 195,0 2,693,959 Ross Nov. 9, 1954 

